Quick Links to Frequently Asked Questions about FCV Ashburn Recreational Soccer
Is FCV Ashburn a new soccer club?
What should I bring to practice and games?
What should I wear to practice?
What should I wear to a game?
What size ball do I need?
What is the Pre-travel Development program?
When are games?
When will I practice?
Can parents coach?
Where will I practice and play my games and practice?
Can my child play up at a older age group?
What will the FCV/Ashburn Recreation program look like?
Who is FCV?
What is All Play Format?
Full List of Frequently Asked Questions about FCV Ashburn Recreational Soccer
Q: Is FCV Ashburn a new soccer club?
A: No. Ashburn Soccer club has changed their name to FCV Ashburn to highlight their partnership with FC Virginia, however, Ashburn soccer club has been in the Ashburn community since 1997.
Q: What should I bring to practice and games?
A: Bring the appropriately sized soccer ball and a water bottle.
Q: What should I wear to practice?
A: Comfortable exercise clothes appropriate for the weather, soccer cleats, and shin guards. Players with long hair should pull their hair back in a pony tail if necessary.
Q: What should I wear to a game?
A: FCV Ashburn jersey, black shorts, soccer cleats, and shin guards. For cold games, long sleeve shirts can be worn under the jersey and sweatpants or leggings can be worn. Players with long hair should pull their hair back in a pony tail if necessary and earrings and jewelry are not allowed.
Q: What size ball do I need?
A: U3-U7: Size 3, U8-U12: Size 4, U13 and above: Size 5
Q: What is the Pre-travel Development program?
A: The Pre-travel Development program is for the U7/U8 soccer player looking for something more than recreational games. Players will get two practices a week with a professional trainer. Practices for these teams will be at a higher level than normal recreational practices. The Pre-Travel teams will play inter-squad games as well as games against local DC area soccer clubs. Some games require you to travel 30-60 minutes away. Home games will usually be played at Bles Park or Evergreen Sportsplex. While games are usually on Saturday, some can be on Sunday.
Q: When are games?
A: Games for the recreational program are Saturday mornings or early afternoon with a start time between 8am-1pm. Game schedules available after registration closes.
Q: When will I practice?
A: Practice times will be set once registration has closed but will be in the evening with a start time between 5-6:30pm on the weekdays for U5-U10. U3-U4 will practice only on Saturday mornings with a professional coach prior to their game.
Q: Can parents coach?
A: FCV Ashburn's unique program puts practice in the hands of a professional coach. An assistant coach will be needed on game day to help with substitutions.
Q: Where will I practice and play my games?
A: All practices and games will be held at
Bles Park. This is a beautiful facility with fantastic Bermuda fields, located near Rt. 7 and Loudoun County Parkway.
Q: Can my child play up at a older age group?
A: Yes, though please note that your child might be at a disadvantage by playing against larger, more experienced children. Our registration system only allows you to register for your correct age group. To request to "Play Up", please email
[email protected] with your request.
Q: What will the FCV Ashburn recreational soccer program look like?
A: Our goal at FCV Ashburn Soccer is to:
- Teach children the correct way to play soccer from the start
- Maximize playtime for every player
To reach these goals, we will provide every recreational player with professional instruction. It is just as easy to teach a beginning soccer player the right way to kick and dribble a ball as it is to teach the wrong way. Learning good habits from the beginning will make sure your player feels confident and happy with their abilities. Every player will get one practice with a trainer.
Creating small teams and groups allow the children to have more play time on the field. A player sitting on the sideline for half the game makes for an unhappy soccer player. Games will be a blast with continual play time.
If your U7/U8 (6 & 7 year olds) player wants more and may be interested in travel at U9, we have our Pre-travel program. These players must be a part of our Recreational program. They will get an extra training day with a professional trainer and will play a second game on the weekend. They will play on some of the nicest fields in the area and play against nearby soccer clubs.
FCV Ashburn Soccer will let your player have a BLAST while learning soccer the right way!
Q: Who is FCV?
A: Football Club Virginia. FCV has been traditionally a girls club for elite soccer players. They are the only recognized ECNL league participant in the area. ECNL is the top league for female players. With the addition of Ashburn Soccer Club into the FCV family, our elite boys teams will participate in EDP. To check out FCV, go to
www.fcvirginia.com.
Q: What is All Play Format?
A: From our Director of Coaching, Royce Brodie:
All Play Format
FCV Ashburn is excited to introduce the All Play Format for the recreational-level players. The All Play Format provides young players the opportunity to play the entire game, a format that is most beneficial to their soccer development. The training sessions and games are led, managed, and facilitated by our highly-qualified professional coaches and trainers. The mission of the FCV Ashburn U5/U6-U7/U8 recreational program is to create an environment for player development. All training and games will focus on learning the game, creativity, problem-solving, and FUN in order to challenge and develop young players!
Purpose and Benefits
The purpose of the All Play Format is to provide younger players the opportunity to play for longer durations with minimal interruption, which keeps them engaged in the sessions and gives them more “touches” on the ball. When players are engaged they develop a greater concentration level, competency in ball skills, and they develop a passion for playing. Furthermore, the players will improve their fitness levels over time which will help to prepare them for the next levels of play. Multiple fields with several small-sided games will be run simultaneously to provide a more player-centric environment, where coaches are no longer focused on substitutions or trying to win the game. Instead, they are game facilitators, providing guidance to allow players to make their own decisions and to play more freely. The format also provides the coaches the flexibility to create more parity in the games as there will be varying levels of ability in every grouping. Players will be matched according to level, creating a more competitive and challenging environment for every player relative to their ability.
Games ideally will be played with a maximum of 10 players per field. This provides the professional coaches the ability to have groups playing 5v5 or 4v4 depending on the actual number of players on any given day. At times, there will be games that are played 4v5, 6v4, 5v6, 5v5+1 neutral player (a player who is always on offense), and 4v4 etc. All players will be playing and participating. No scores will be kept. There are no “winners” or “losers”. The ultimate goal is to get kids playing and enjoying the game of soccer.
There are no referees in these age groups and, as previously mentioned; the games will be facilitated by the professional coaches with assistance from parent volunteers. The rules are simple and we look to provide little interruption in game play as possible; restarts in games should be performed as quickly as possible in the form of kick-ins or throw-ins, goal kicks, and corner kicks, etc. The coaches/facilitators will call egregious fouls as they deem appropriate/necessary. If interested, we are looking for parent volunteers who have an interest and desire to assist our professional coaching staff. Please contact the FCV Ashburn Administrator at [email protected] if you are able to help out.
Unlike other soccer-playing countries, the United States historically has taught our younger soccer players to compete in and win soccer games before they are taught how to play the game. The problem with this focus becomes very obvious at higher levels and in older age groups, where the player pool is replete with players who are technically years behind players from other countries. Motivated by an adult-induced win-at-all-costs focus, young U.S. players attempt to win games the only way they know how—by kicking the ball as hard as they can and running after it, known as “kick and run” soccer. The pressure to win, coupled with an inability by some inexperienced volunteer coaches to teach soccer skills, deters these players from developing the technical skills necessary to play soccer at a higher level. At FCV Ashburn, we focus on “possession” soccer in tangent with technical development, rather than “kick and run” soccer. By focusing on “possession” soccer we are teaching young players how to control the soccer ball by developing a strong first touch on the ball, good passing, and dribbling with a purpose.
FCV Ashburn recognizes that technical skills are most easily and quickly learned between the ages of 5 and 10. For this reason, FCV Ashburn provides professional instruction and oversight in all technical areas of the game in a pressure-free environment for players at these early stages of development, thereby providing the opportunity to “grow” successful players as they graduate to the older age groups. We believe in a long-term approach that requires players to put in the necessary time and effort to learning the game first. We believe that our program provides the best possible environment for young soccer players to capitalize on the opportunities that the great game of soccer will offer.